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Emmy-nominated Padma Lakshmi is internationally known as an actress, food expert, model, and The New York Times best-selling author, as well as the recipient of the 2016 NECO Ellis Island Medal of Honor. Padma also serves as host and executive producer of Bravo's Emmy award-winning Top Chef, currently in its 15th season.

Padma was born in India and grew up in America. She graduated from Clark University with a Bachelor's Degree in Theatre Arts and American Literature. Known as India's first supermodel, she began her career as a fashion model, working in Europe and the United States.

Padma established herself as a food expert early in her career, having hosted two successful cooking shows and writing the best-selling Easy Exotic, which won the "Best First Book" award at the 1999 Gourmand World Cookbook Awards. She followed this success with the publication of her second cookbook, Tangy, Tart, Hot & Sweet, which has over 150 recipes from around the world alongside intriguing personal essays. In 2016, She released her food memoir, The New York Times best-selling Love, Loss and What We Ate, followed shortly thereafter by The Encyclopedia of Spices & Herbs.

In addition to her food writing, she has also contributed to such magazines as Vogue, Gourmet and both British and American Harper's Bazaar, as well as a syndicated column on fashion and food for The New York Times.

For the Food Network, she hosted Padma's Passport, where she cooked diverse cuisine from around the world. She also hosted Planet Food, a documentary series on the Food Network and broadcast worldwide on the Discovery Channel. Padma was nominated for an Emmy Award for her role as host and judge on Bravo's Top Chef, which won an Emmy for Outstanding Reality Competition Show. Other television credits include co-hosting Rai Television's Domenica In, Italy’s highest-rated morning news program.

In 2009, Padma co-founded the Endometriosis Foundation of America alongside world-renowned Advanced Gynecological Surgeon Tamer Seckin, MD. After suffering from the disease for decades herself, she has been able to make amazing strides with the foundation, like launching the first interdisciplinary research facility in the country for Gynepathology as a joint project between Harvard Medical School and MIT, where she gave the keynote address at the Center’s opening in December 2009. Her efforts were recently recognized on the floor of the New York State Senate, where she succeeded in passing a bill related to teen health initiatives. The organization’s ENPOWR program has currently educated over 15,000 students about endometriosis in high schools across the state of New York.

In addition to these projects, Padma is a savvy businesswoman with multiple companies of her own. Her debut home décor line, The Padma Collection, hit Bloomingdale's stores nationwide with tabletop dishware, stemware and hand-blown glass décor pieces. She also created Padma's Easy Exotic, a collection of culinary products ranging from frozen organic foods, fine teas, and natural spice blends, to hard goods.

One of the culinary world's most celebrated figures, Tom Colicchio returns once again as lead judge for Bravo's 16th season of the Emmy and James Beard Award-winning culinary series Top Chef, and also serves as mentor to the competing chefs on the series, guiding them through their various challenges. He also hosts BravoTV.com's Emmy-Winning Digital Companion Video Series Top Chef: Last Chance Kitchen.

Tom is also the chef and owner of Crafted Hospitality, which currently includes New York's Craft, Riverpark, Temple Court and newest edition Small Batch; Los Angeles' Craft Los Angeles; and Las Vegas' Heritage Steak and Craftsteak. Born in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Tom made his New York cooking debut at prominent New York restaurants including The Quilted Giraffe, Gotham Bar & Grill and Gramercy Tavern before opening Craft in 2001. Outside of his fine dining restaurants, Colicchio opened 'Wichcraft – a sandwich and salad fast casual concept rooted in the same food and hospitality philosophies as Craft – in New York City in 2003.

He has published Think Like a Chef (2000), which won The James Beard Foundation "KitchenAid" Cookbook Award in May 2001; Craft of Cooking (2003); and a sandwich book inspired by 'wichcraft (2009). In May 2010, Tom was awarded The James Beard Foundation's coveted "Outstanding Chef" award, the culmination of his 30 years of hard work in the restaurant industry.

Tom appears in and served as executive producer on A Place at the Table, Participant Media's documentary about food insecurity in America, produced and directed by his wife, Lori Silverbush, by Kristi Jacobson. A Place at the Table, which premiered at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival and was released by Magnolia Pictures in 2013, has become the launchpad for a national movement centered on ending hunger in the United States.

In an effort to broaden his long-standing social and political activism, Tom co-founded Food Policy Action in 2012 in collaboration with national food policy leaders, in order to hold legislators accountable on votes that have an effect on food and farming. He has also been an outspoken voice on issues like GMO labeling and the use of antibiotics in food sources, and he continues to lobby for better anti-hunger policies in America.

Tom and his restaurants give back to the community by serving on the boards of Children of Bellevue, City Harvest, Wholesome Wave and Food Policy Action. He lives in Brooklyn with his wife, Lori Silverbush, and three sons. When he's not in the kitchen, Tom can be found tending to his garden on the North Fork of Long Island, enjoying a day of fishing or playing guitar.

Chef Emeril Lagasse returns as judge on Season 11 of Top Chef. Lagasse is the chef/proprietor of 13 restaurants including three in New Orleans (Emeril’s, NOLA and Emeril’s Delmonico); four in Las Vegas (Emeril’s New Orleans Fish House, Delmonico Steakhouse, Table 10 and Lagasse’s Stadium); two in Orlando (Emeril’s Orlando and Tchoup Chop); three at the Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem in Pennsylvania (Emeril’s Italian Table, Emeril’s Chop House and Burgers And More by Emeril), and his most recent opening in Charlotte, North Carolina with e2 Emeril’s Eatery.

As a national TV personality, he has hosted over 2000 shows on the Food Network, and is the food correspondent for ABC’s Good Morning America. He is also the host of Emeril’s Florida, Fresh Food Fast, and The Originals with Emeril, appearing on Cooking Channel.

Lagasse is the best-selling author of 17 cookbooks including Emeril’s New New Orleans Cooking, which introduced his creative take on Creole cuisine. His 17th book, Emeril’s Kicked-Up Sandwiches, will debut in October 2012.

In 2002, Emeril established the Emeril Lagasse Foundation to support children’s educational programs that inspire and mentor young people through the culinary arts, nutrition, healthy eating, and important life skills. To date, the Foundation has given over $5.5 million to children’s causes in New Orleans, Las Vegas and on the Gulf Coast.

Lagasse's restaurant company, Emeril's Homebase, is located in New Orleans and houses culinary operations, a test kitchen for recipe development, and a boutique store for his signature products.

Emeril Lagasse joined the Martha Stewart family of brands in 2008; Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia (NYSE: MSO) acquired the assets related to Emeril’s media and merchandising business, including television programming, cookbooks, and emerils.com website, and his licensed kitchen and food products.

Gail Simmons is a trained culinary expert, food writer, and dynamic television personality. Since the show’s inception in 2006, she has lent her extensive expertise as permanent judge on Bravo’s Emmy-winning series Top Chef, currently in its 16th season. She was head critic on Top Chef Masters, host of Top Chef Just Desserts, Bravo’s pastry-focused spinoff of the Top Chef franchise, and was a judge on Universal Kids’ Top Chef Jr. She also hosts Iron Chef Canada and was the co-host of The Feed..

Her first cookbook, Bringing It Home: Favorite Recipes from a Life of Adventurous Eating, was released by Grand Central Publishing in October 2017. Nominated for an IACP award for Best General Cookbook, it features recipes inspired by Gail’s world travels—all made with accessible ingredients and with smart, simple techniques for successful family meals and easy entertaining. Gail’s first book, a memoir titled Talking With My Mouth Full, was published by Hyperion in February 2012.

Gail joined Food & Wine magazine in 2004, where she directs special projects, writing a monthly column and working closely with the country’s top culinary talent on events and chef-related initiatives. During her tenure, she has been responsible for overseeing the annual Classic in Aspen, America’s premier culinary event. Prior to working at Food & Wine, Gail was the special events manager for Chef Daniel Boulud’s restaurant empire.

Born and raised in Toronto, Canada, Gail moved to New York City in 1999 to attend culinary school at what is now the Institute of Culinary Education. She then trained in the kitchens of legendary Le Cirque 2000 and groundbreaking Vong restaurants, and worked as the assistant to Vogue magazine’s esteemed food critic, Jeffrey Steingarten. Throughout her career, Gail has contributed to several books, including It Must’ve Been Something I Ate by Steingarten, Chef Daniel Boulud: Cooking in New York City and The New American Chef, by Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page.

In 2014, Gail and her business partner Samantha Hanks, founded Bumble Pie Productions, an original content company dedicated to discovering and promoting new female voices in the food and lifestyle space. Their first series, “Star Plates”—a collaboration with Drew Barrymore’s Flower Films and Authentic Entertainment—premiered in Fall 2016 on the Food Network.

In addition, Gail makes frequent television appearances on NBC’s TODAY, ABC’s Good Morning America, and the Rachel Ray Show, among others. She has been featured in publications such as People, New York magazine, Travel + Leisure, GQ, Entertainment Weekly, US Weekly, Los Angeles Times, and was named the #1 Reality TV Judge in America by the New York Post. Along with her annual appearance at the Food & Wine Classic in Aspen, she makes regular appearances at the nation’s foremost culinary festivals, including the Austin Food & Wine Festival and Charleston Wine & Food Festival.

In February 2013, Gail was appointed Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Babson College, a mentoring role where she works with student entrepreneurs, helping them develop food-related social enterprises. In April 2016, she received the Award of Excellence by Spoons Across America, a non-profit organization dedicated to educating children about the benefits of healthy eating. She is an active board member and supporter of City Harvest, Hot Bread Kitchen, Common Threads, and the Institute of Culinary Education.

Gail currently lives in New York City with her husband, Jeremy and their two children, Dahlia and Kole.

Hugh Acheson returns as a judge for for the twelfth season of Top Chef as a series judge. A competitor on Top Chef Duels as a series judge. A competitor on Top Chef Masters Season 3, Hugh is the chef/owner of Five & Ten, The National, Cinco y Diez, Empire State South and The Florence. In addition, Acheson also serves as a series judge on Bravo's newest culinary competition series, Top Chef Duels.

Born and raised in Ottawa, Canada Hugh started cooking at a young age and decided to make it his career. At age 15, he began working in restaurants after school and learning as much as possible. Today, Hugh's experience includes working under Chef Rob MacDonald where he learned stylized French cuisine, wine and etiquette at the renowned Henri Burger restaurant in Ottawa as well as in San Francisco as the chef de cuisine with Chef Mike Fennelly at Mecca, and later as opening sous-chef with famed Chef Gary Danko at his namesake restaurant.

Taking these experiences, Hugh developed a style of his own forging together the beauty of the South with the flavors of Europe and opening the critically acclaimed Athens, GA, restaurant Five & Ten in March of 2000. Hugh went on to open The National, with fellow chef Peter Dale, in 2007. His Atlanta-based restaurant Empire State South opened in 2010 and most recently, in 2014; Hugh opened both Cinco y Diez, in Athens, and The Florence in Savannah.

Hugh's fresh approach to Southern food has earned him a great deal of recognition including Food & Wine's Best New Chef (2002), the AJC Restaurant of the Year (2007), a 2007 Rising Star from StarChefs.com and winner of their Mentor Award in 2012, and a six-time James Beard nominee for Best Chef Southeast (2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012) and winner in 2012. Chef Mario Batali chose Hugh as one of the 100 contemporary chefs in Phaidon Press' Coco: 10 World Leading Master Choose 100 Contemporary Chefs.

In addition to running three restaurants, Hugh has published two cookbooks. His first, titled A New Turn in the South: Southern Flavors Reinvented for your Kitchen, was published by Clarkson Potter in the fall of 2011 and won the James Beard Award for Best American Cookbook in 2012. His second, titled Pick a Pickle: 50 Recipes for Pickles, Relishes and Fermented Snacks came out in the spring of 2014. He is in the process of writing his third, which is due out in 2015.

Chef Aaron Cuschieri has worked in some of the top kitchens in the country including, Assaggi Bistro in his home state of Michigan, to the world-renowned Alinea in Chicago. Ultimately, Aaron earned a position at Takashi Restaurant where he met his most influential mentor, Takashi Yagihashi. Under Takashi’s direction, Aaron further developed his simple and fresh cooking philosophy, learning the importance of upholding the integrity of ingredients and always looking for the right balance of texture and flavor. Recognizing his skills, Chef Takashi tapped Aaron to oversee his Japanese comfort food concept, Slurping Turtle, as Executive Chef. Outside of the kitchen, Aaron spends his time playing guitar and drums, reading the latest cookbook and taking advantage of Chicago’s emerging culinary scene.

Benedetto Bartolotta has created Indulge by Bene, now setting the standard as the premier catering and event planning company in New York City. Bene has planned his signature company to appeal to clients who seek a unique food experience in a setting of their choice. Based in Manhattan, Indulge by Bene focuses on the highest quality fresh ingredients, innovative flavors, and artful sexy presentations. (Bene was nominated as one of the Top 10 Sexiest Chefs in New York City.)

Each client receives creative menu selections tailored to their unique desires and focusing on the very best ingredients of the season. Indulge by Bene's fine-dining approach to catering presents clients with seasonally inspired menus, prepared to perfection, designed and tailored just for you.

Chef and owner Benedetto Bartolotta is a star graduate of The Culinary Institute of America. He has also studied extensively in Europe and Asia to bring back fresh and innovative ideas for your table. Bene has worked as the Executive Chef for acclaimed New York City restaurants such as San Domenico NY, Cipriani, and Osteria del Circo.

Chef Bret Pelaggi began his cooking career as a teenager at a local Norwood, MA restaurant. After graduating from the New England Culinary Institute, he went on to work at Boston-area restaurants including L' Espalier, Kingfish Hall, Sibling Rivalry, and Chiara. Bret believes in using local products along with pasture fed meat and game, and enjoys a rustic approach to cooking, saying, “I love braising and cooking on the bone, and classic stock based sauces.” When not working, Bret loves playing all sports and exercising. He currently resides in Miami where he is looking forward to establishing himself on the culinary scene.

Chef Brian Huskey is a native of Pasadena, California. After attending UCLA, where he had his first job as a short order cook, Brian moved to San Francisco to get his formal culinary education at CCA. After CCA, Brian went on a culinary journey, traveling to places as far as the Caribbean but eventually landing back in Los Angeles. For the past two and half years, Brian has been working directly with Chef Ricardo Zarate in opening his three restaurants: Picca, Mo-chica, and Paiche. Throughout this process, Brian has been able to travel and learn how to incorporate Asian, French, Peruvian, and Californian influences into his food.

Chef Carlos Gaytan arrived in Chicago in early 1991, quickly working his way up from pantry cook to line cook at Sheraton North Shore Hotel. After earning a position as Chef Garde Manger, Carlos discovered his creative ability to carve on ice, fruit and vegetables, winning several awards for his talent. In 1996, Carlos earned a position as Chef Garde Manger at the Union League Club of Chicago, ranked as the best private club in the nation. In April of 2004 Carlos became the Chef de Cuisine at Bistrot Margot where he worked with renowned French Chef Dominique Tougne and participated in such events as the Confrerie de la Chaide de Rotisseurs, the Moet and Chandon Brunch and the Annual Flora Springs Dinner Auction in Napa Valley. In May of 2008, Carlos opened his own restaurant -- Mexique on Chicago Avenue in Chicago. With great creativity, love, and dedication he applies his knowledge of French cooking techniques and ingredients to his roots of traditional Mexican cuisine, creating a revolution of Mexican gastronomy. Mexique has received much recognition since its opening, including one of Chicago magazine’s top new restaurants of 2009, best restaurant of 2010 and received its first star in the Michelin Guide in 2013. Most recently Carlos was awarded “Chef of the Year 2011,” by the American Culinary Federation.

Chef Carrie Mashaney works as the chef de cuisine at Aragona, following Jason Stratton from Spinasse. Having attended baking and pastry school in Seattle, her early culinary focus was on the sweet side but she quickly realized she loved cooking savory as well. Her style of cooking focuses on simple flavors and more traditional cooking techniques. While she has trained in Italian and most recently Spanish restaurants, she most enjoys cooking Mexican, Vietnamese, and Caribbean cuisines at home. In her free time, she participates in Crossfit and currently has a personal record of 49 double under jump ropes.

Growing up in Australia, Janine was surrounded by unique flavors from all over the world which inspired her to embark on a culinary journey throughout Europe, Asia and beyond. Janine's travels lead her to Miami, Florida, where she studied Culinary Arts at Le Cordon Bleu and worked in restaurants alongside former Top Chef alum Chef Jeff McInnis, exploring Southern American, Thai, Vietnamese, and Modern American cuisines. Janine is currently living in New York City and has partnered up with Top Chef alum Jeffrey McInnis to open up their own restaurant Root & Bone, which is set to open early 2014 in the East Village, NYC. Root & Bone is excited to bring a little bit of the South to the big city; a Southern revival of the farm and garden to table experience.

When Janine is not sweating it out in the kitchen, she is spending time with her shih-tzu, traveling, and making memories with friends and family.

At the young age of 27, Chef Jason Cichonski, is the Chef and owner of Ela Restaurant in Philadelphia’s Queen Village neighborhood. Hailed by The Philadelphia Inquirer that “few kitchens in town can match Ela’s food value-wise for pure excitement… from the first course to the last, the chef at Ela is hottest where it matters most.” Ela is co-owned by Chef Chip Roman, one of the city’s acclaimed chefs who first partnered with Jason to open his Chestnut Hill restaurant Mica, another top restaurant in the region. Prior to joining Chef Roman at Mica, Jason served as executive chef at Lacroix at the Rittenhouse when he was only 24 years old. Before his success at Lacroix, he worked in other highly-praised kitchens, including the Pluckemin Inn, a fine dining Italian restaurant in Bedminster, NJ and Moonlight, a progressive American restaurant in New Hope, PA. The five ingredients Jason always has on hand are: mustard crackers, ginger oil, kaffir lime leaves, smoked balsamic vinegar, ginger.

Born in California, Chef Justin Devillier became a “forever” resident of New Orleans when he moved there in 2003. With no formal culinary training, he began working in the kitchens of restaurants such as Bacco, Stella, and Peristyle and joined the staff of La Petite Grocery in 2004. He became Executive Chef in 2007 after helping re-establish the restaurant after Hurricane Katrina. He and his wife bought La Petite Grocery in 2010, and he has since been nominated in 2012 and 2013 as a finalist by The James Beard Foundation for the Best Chef South Award. Justin has been an avid fisherman since childhood and tries to make it out on the water at least one day a week, chasing salt water game fish. His favorite junk food is pork cracklin.

Chef Louis Maldonado launched his culinary career at One Market in San Francisco, working under Chef Adrian Hoffman. After working his way up, Louis earned a sous chef position at Cortez, where he was quickly promoted to co-executive chef in 2006 and earned a Michelin star for his work. In addition, Louis has worked at top San Francisco restaurants including French Laundry, Café Majestic and worked for 3 years as chef de cuisine of Aziza. In 2012 Louis moved to Healdsburg to become the executive chef of Spoonbar at h2hotel, where he was able to create a menu of clean and simple dishes that honor the culinary traditions of the United States. In addition, Louis oversees the menu of Pizzando, the restaurant at h2hotel’s sister property, hotel Healdsburg.

After overcoming cancer at the age of 26, Chef Michel Sichel spent more than 13 years honing his cooking skills in Provence, France and in the kitchens of notable restaurants including Rubicon with Traci des Jardins in San Francisco and Gotham Bar & Grill with Alfred Portale in New York. He moved to New Orleans in 2004 where he had the opportunity to shadow some of the city’s best chefs and is currently Executive Chef at Galatoire’s, a 105 year-old New Orleans landmark and James Beard award-winning restaurant.

Chef Nicholas Elmi has worked at some of the top rated French restaurants on the east coast, including Guy Savoy (Paris), Le Bec Fin, Union Pacific, Oceana and Lutece. Nicholas has built a solid French repertoire that is constantly undated with influences from his travels as well as his upbringing in New England. In the fall of 2013, Nicholas is opening French/American resturant, Laurel, at 1617 East Passyunk Avenue in Philadelphia -- the city he has called home for 13 years -- with a focus on sustainability and simplicity.

A native of St. Lucia, Nina Compton has trained in French, Caribbean and Italian kitchens. She has worked under renowned Chef Daniel Boulud and now lives in Miami where she worked for acclaimed chef Scott Conant. A self-proclaimed "gnocchi queen," Nina always keeps Maldon salt, good olive oil, lemon, calabrese chilies, and either pancetta or guanciale on hand. Nina strongly believes one should enjoy the moment whenever they are cooking.

Chef Patricia Vega was born and raised in Puerto Rico and moved to New York at the age of 21 to pursue her childhood dream of becoming a chef. After training in classic French cuisine and graduating from the French Culinary Institute in 2010, Patricia has worked in some of NYC’s most prestigious kitchens, including: Plein Sud, Nougatine at Jean Georges, and most recently, David Burke Fishtail. She loves giving a nod to her Puerto Rican heritage in her food, but she is most passionate about French and Italian cuisine. Her favorite recipe to cook is ricotta cavatelli pasta with braised short ribs and bitter greens.

Ramon Bojorquez is the Sous Chef at Nine-Ten, an upscale farm to table restaurant in downtown La Jolla, California. Ramon is of Mexican descent, born in Rio Rico, Arizona, and was professionally trained at the Scottsdale Culinary School. He grew up watching his grandfather cook, and carries a considerable amount of Mexican, Spanish, and Thai influence in his cuisine. He has traveled the world, from serving as a stage in Spain to fighting Muy Thai professionally in Thailand. Ramon loves bold and spicy flavors- simple yet powerful. He believes “the combination of peppers, cilantro, and lime can be used in almost any dish.” Above all, fresh, seasonal products stand as the cornerstone of Ramon’s cooking.

Chef Sara Johannes started as a Theater Major at the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities, before a redirection ultimately led her to culinary school. Falling in love with food at a young age, Sara could always be found diligently listening to the cooking shows on PBS on Saturday mornings and was inspired by her grandparents, who always let the season, mood, and occasion dictate their menu. Sara served as executive chef for Wolfgang Puck’s Five Sixty restaurant in Dallas and WP24 in Los Angeles at the Ritz Carlton before heading back to Minneapolis. Currently, Sara serves as the executive chef at Shoyu at the Minneapolis St. Paul Airport.

Born and raised in Beijing China, Shirley Chung was exposed to international cuisine at an early age by her grandmother, Liang Si Yi, former Director of The Red Cross in China. She immigrated to America at age 17 for college and worked in Silicon Valley for a few years after graduating. Chung decided to follow her passion for food so she left her career in high tech behind and enrolled in culinary school. She is trained in classic French and Italian cuisine, worked and opened restaurants for Thomas Keller, Guy Savoy and Mario Batali. After she opened CarneVino as Chef de Cuisine for the Batali group, CarneVino earned multiple awards for Best Steak House internationally. Prior to being a finalist on season 11 of Top Chef in New Orleans, she held the Executive Chef Position at China Poblano, by Jose Andres, which was nominated for the Best New Restaurant Award by the James Beard Foundation in 2011. While working at China Poblano, she fell in love with Mexican cuisine and learned more about her own heritage. In 2014, Chung opened Orange County restaurant Twenty Eight, which she describes as modern American cuisine with a Chinese soul.

Always passionate about cooking, Stephanie Cmar began working in the food industry when she was 15 years old at the Muffin Shop in Marblehead, MA. It ignited her thirst for food and provided the direction for her life. In 2007, Stephanie graduated from Johnson & Wales University and returned to Boston to begin her career at Top of the Hub. She continued developing her talent by working as sous chef at Ivy Restaurant. Her next step was working with Barbara Lynch Gruppo at B&G Oysters in 2009 as line cook where she was quickly promoted to sous chef and from there, she moved over to Stir. Most recently, Stephanie has continued to further her fine dining skills at No. 9 Park. The fast-paced, creative environment continues to inspire her and drives her passion for food.

Chef Travis Masar was born and raised in Southeast Colorado where his exposure to food was mainly through his family and upbringing. Growing up in Colorado, he gained experience hunting wild game such as elk, deer, and antelope and he honed his craft by helping his family butcher whole pigs and beef. He has traveled and cooked all over the world including Alaska, Wales, U.S. Virgin Islands, Vermont, Czech Republic, Thailand, Taiwan, and Vietnam. Over the last five years, Travis has focused on traditional Asian cuisine and says the food he cooks represents grandmothers all over the world.

Emmy-nominated Padma Lakshmi is internationally known as an actress, food expert, model, and The New York Times best-selling author, as well as the recipient of the 2016 NECO Ellis Island Medal of Honor. Padma also serves as host and executive producer of Bravo's Emmy award-winning Top Chef, currently in its 15th season.

Padma was born in India and grew up in America. She graduated from Clark University with a Bachelor's Degree in Theatre Arts and American Literature. Known as India's first supermodel, she began her career as a fashion model, working in Europe and the United States.

Padma established herself as a food expert early in her career, having hosted two successful cooking shows and writing the best-selling Easy Exotic, which won the "Best First Book" award at the 1999 Gourmand World Cookbook Awards. She followed this success with the publication of her second cookbook, Tangy, Tart, Hot & Sweet, which has over 150 recipes from around the world alongside intriguing personal essays. In 2016, She released her food memoir, The New York Times best-selling Love, Loss and What We Ate, followed shortly thereafter by The Encyclopedia of Spices & Herbs.

In addition to her food writing, she has also contributed to such magazines as Vogue, Gourmet and both British and American Harper's Bazaar, as well as a syndicated column on fashion and food for The New York Times.

For the Food Network, she hosted Padma's Passport, where she cooked diverse cuisine from around the world. She also hosted Planet Food, a documentary series on the Food Network and broadcast worldwide on the Discovery Channel. Padma was nominated for an Emmy Award for her role as host and judge on Bravo's Top Chef, which won an Emmy for Outstanding Reality Competition Show. Other television credits include co-hosting Rai Television's Domenica In, Italy’s highest-rated morning news program.

In 2009, Padma co-founded the Endometriosis Foundation of America alongside world-renowned Advanced Gynecological Surgeon Tamer Seckin, MD. After suffering from the disease for decades herself, she has been able to make amazing strides with the foundation, like launching the first interdisciplinary research facility in the country for Gynepathology as a joint project between Harvard Medical School and MIT, where she gave the keynote address at the Center’s opening in December 2009. Her efforts were recently recognized on the floor of the New York State Senate, where she succeeded in passing a bill related to teen health initiatives. The organization’s ENPOWR program has currently educated over 15,000 students about endometriosis in high schools across the state of New York.

In addition to these projects, Padma is a savvy businesswoman with multiple companies of her own. Her debut home décor line, The Padma Collection, hit Bloomingdale's stores nationwide with tabletop dishware, stemware and hand-blown glass décor pieces. She also created Padma's Easy Exotic, a collection of culinary products ranging from frozen organic foods, fine teas, and natural spice blends, to hard goods.

One of the culinary world's most celebrated figures, Tom Colicchio returns once again as lead judge for Bravo's 16th season of the Emmy and James Beard Award-winning culinary series Top Chef, and also serves as mentor to the competing chefs on the series, guiding them through their various challenges. He also hosts BravoTV.com's Emmy-Winning Digital Companion Video Series Top Chef: Last Chance Kitchen.

Tom is also the chef and owner of Crafted Hospitality, which currently includes New York's Craft, Riverpark, Temple Court and newest edition Small Batch; Los Angeles' Craft Los Angeles; and Las Vegas' Heritage Steak and Craftsteak. Born in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Tom made his New York cooking debut at prominent New York restaurants including The Quilted Giraffe, Gotham Bar & Grill and Gramercy Tavern before opening Craft in 2001. Outside of his fine dining restaurants, Colicchio opened 'Wichcraft – a sandwich and salad fast casual concept rooted in the same food and hospitality philosophies as Craft – in New York City in 2003.

He has published Think Like a Chef (2000), which won The James Beard Foundation "KitchenAid" Cookbook Award in May 2001; Craft of Cooking (2003); and a sandwich book inspired by 'wichcraft (2009). In May 2010, Tom was awarded The James Beard Foundation's coveted "Outstanding Chef" award, the culmination of his 30 years of hard work in the restaurant industry.

Tom appears in and served as executive producer on A Place at the Table, Participant Media's documentary about food insecurity in America, produced and directed by his wife, Lori Silverbush, by Kristi Jacobson. A Place at the Table, which premiered at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival and was released by Magnolia Pictures in 2013, has become the launchpad for a national movement centered on ending hunger in the United States.

In an effort to broaden his long-standing social and political activism, Tom co-founded Food Policy Action in 2012 in collaboration with national food policy leaders, in order to hold legislators accountable on votes that have an effect on food and farming. He has also been an outspoken voice on issues like GMO labeling and the use of antibiotics in food sources, and he continues to lobby for better anti-hunger policies in America.

Tom and his restaurants give back to the community by serving on the boards of Children of Bellevue, City Harvest, Wholesome Wave and Food Policy Action. He lives in Brooklyn with his wife, Lori Silverbush, and three sons. When he's not in the kitchen, Tom can be found tending to his garden on the North Fork of Long Island, enjoying a day of fishing or playing guitar.

Chef Emeril Lagasse returns as judge on Season 11 of Top Chef. Lagasse is the chef/proprietor of 13 restaurants including three in New Orleans (Emeril’s, NOLA and Emeril’s Delmonico); four in Las Vegas (Emeril’s New Orleans Fish House, Delmonico Steakhouse, Table 10 and Lagasse’s Stadium); two in Orlando (Emeril’s Orlando and Tchoup Chop); three at the Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem in Pennsylvania (Emeril’s Italian Table, Emeril’s Chop House and Burgers And More by Emeril), and his most recent opening in Charlotte, North Carolina with e2 Emeril’s Eatery.

As a national TV personality, he has hosted over 2000 shows on the Food Network, and is the food correspondent for ABC’s Good Morning America. He is also the host of Emeril’s Florida, Fresh Food Fast, and The Originals with Emeril, appearing on Cooking Channel.

Lagasse is the best-selling author of 17 cookbooks including Emeril’s New New Orleans Cooking, which introduced his creative take on Creole cuisine. His 17th book, Emeril’s Kicked-Up Sandwiches, will debut in October 2012.

In 2002, Emeril established the Emeril Lagasse Foundation to support children’s educational programs that inspire and mentor young people through the culinary arts, nutrition, healthy eating, and important life skills. To date, the Foundation has given over $5.5 million to children’s causes in New Orleans, Las Vegas and on the Gulf Coast.

Lagasse's restaurant company, Emeril's Homebase, is located in New Orleans and houses culinary operations, a test kitchen for recipe development, and a boutique store for his signature products.

Emeril Lagasse joined the Martha Stewart family of brands in 2008; Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia (NYSE: MSO) acquired the assets related to Emeril’s media and merchandising business, including television programming, cookbooks, and emerils.com website, and his licensed kitchen and food products.

Gail Simmons is a trained culinary expert, food writer, and dynamic television personality. Since the show’s inception in 2006, she has lent her extensive expertise as permanent judge on Bravo’s Emmy-winning series Top Chef, currently in its 16th season. She was head critic on Top Chef Masters, host of Top Chef Just Desserts, Bravo’s pastry-focused spinoff of the Top Chef franchise, and was a judge on Universal Kids’ Top Chef Jr. She also hosts Iron Chef Canada and was the co-host of The Feed..

Her first cookbook, Bringing It Home: Favorite Recipes from a Life of Adventurous Eating, was released by Grand Central Publishing in October 2017. Nominated for an IACP award for Best General Cookbook, it features recipes inspired by Gail’s world travels—all made with accessible ingredients and with smart, simple techniques for successful family meals and easy entertaining. Gail’s first book, a memoir titled Talking With My Mouth Full, was published by Hyperion in February 2012.

Gail joined Food & Wine magazine in 2004, where she directs special projects, writing a monthly column and working closely with the country’s top culinary talent on events and chef-related initiatives. During her tenure, she has been responsible for overseeing the annual Classic in Aspen, America’s premier culinary event. Prior to working at Food & Wine, Gail was the special events manager for Chef Daniel Boulud’s restaurant empire.

Born and raised in Toronto, Canada, Gail moved to New York City in 1999 to attend culinary school at what is now the Institute of Culinary Education. She then trained in the kitchens of legendary Le Cirque 2000 and groundbreaking Vong restaurants, and worked as the assistant to Vogue magazine’s esteemed food critic, Jeffrey Steingarten. Throughout her career, Gail has contributed to several books, including It Must’ve Been Something I Ate by Steingarten, Chef Daniel Boulud: Cooking in New York City and The New American Chef, by Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page.

In 2014, Gail and her business partner Samantha Hanks, founded Bumble Pie Productions, an original content company dedicated to discovering and promoting new female voices in the food and lifestyle space. Their first series, “Star Plates”—a collaboration with Drew Barrymore’s Flower Films and Authentic Entertainment—premiered in Fall 2016 on the Food Network.

In addition, Gail makes frequent television appearances on NBC’s TODAY, ABC’s Good Morning America, and the Rachel Ray Show, among others. She has been featured in publications such as People, New York magazine, Travel + Leisure, GQ, Entertainment Weekly, US Weekly, Los Angeles Times, and was named the #1 Reality TV Judge in America by the New York Post. Along with her annual appearance at the Food & Wine Classic in Aspen, she makes regular appearances at the nation’s foremost culinary festivals, including the Austin Food & Wine Festival and Charleston Wine & Food Festival.

In February 2013, Gail was appointed Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Babson College, a mentoring role where she works with student entrepreneurs, helping them develop food-related social enterprises. In April 2016, she received the Award of Excellence by Spoons Across America, a non-profit organization dedicated to educating children about the benefits of healthy eating. She is an active board member and supporter of City Harvest, Hot Bread Kitchen, Common Threads, and the Institute of Culinary Education.

Gail currently lives in New York City with her husband, Jeremy and their two children, Dahlia and Kole.

Hugh Acheson returns as a judge for for the twelfth season of Top Chef as a series judge. A competitor on Top Chef Duels as a series judge. A competitor on Top Chef Masters Season 3, Hugh is the chef/owner of Five & Ten, The National, Cinco y Diez, Empire State South and The Florence. In addition, Acheson also serves as a series judge on Bravo's newest culinary competition series, Top Chef Duels.

Born and raised in Ottawa, Canada Hugh started cooking at a young age and decided to make it his career. At age 15, he began working in restaurants after school and learning as much as possible. Today, Hugh's experience includes working under Chef Rob MacDonald where he learned stylized French cuisine, wine and etiquette at the renowned Henri Burger restaurant in Ottawa as well as in San Francisco as the chef de cuisine with Chef Mike Fennelly at Mecca, and later as opening sous-chef with famed Chef Gary Danko at his namesake restaurant.

Taking these experiences, Hugh developed a style of his own forging together the beauty of the South with the flavors of Europe and opening the critically acclaimed Athens, GA, restaurant Five & Ten in March of 2000. Hugh went on to open The National, with fellow chef Peter Dale, in 2007. His Atlanta-based restaurant Empire State South opened in 2010 and most recently, in 2014; Hugh opened both Cinco y Diez, in Athens, and The Florence in Savannah.

Hugh's fresh approach to Southern food has earned him a great deal of recognition including Food & Wine's Best New Chef (2002), the AJC Restaurant of the Year (2007), a 2007 Rising Star from StarChefs.com and winner of their Mentor Award in 2012, and a six-time James Beard nominee for Best Chef Southeast (2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012) and winner in 2012. Chef Mario Batali chose Hugh as one of the 100 contemporary chefs in Phaidon Press' Coco: 10 World Leading Master Choose 100 Contemporary Chefs.

In addition to running three restaurants, Hugh has published two cookbooks. His first, titled A New Turn in the South: Southern Flavors Reinvented for your Kitchen, was published by Clarkson Potter in the fall of 2011 and won the James Beard Award for Best American Cookbook in 2012. His second, titled Pick a Pickle: 50 Recipes for Pickles, Relishes and Fermented Snacks came out in the spring of 2014. He is in the process of writing his third, which is due out in 2015.

Chef Aaron Cuschieri has worked in some of the top kitchens in the country including, Assaggi Bistro in his home state of Michigan, to the world-renowned Alinea in Chicago. Ultimately, Aaron earned a position at Takashi Restaurant where he met his most influential mentor, Takashi Yagihashi. Under Takashi’s direction, Aaron further developed his simple and fresh cooking philosophy, learning the importance of upholding the integrity of ingredients and always looking for the right balance of texture and flavor. Recognizing his skills, Chef Takashi tapped Aaron to oversee his Japanese comfort food concept, Slurping Turtle, as Executive Chef. Outside of the kitchen, Aaron spends his time playing guitar and drums, reading the latest cookbook and taking advantage of Chicago’s emerging culinary scene.

Benedetto Bartolotta has created Indulge by Bene, now setting the standard as the premier catering and event planning company in New York City. Bene has planned his signature company to appeal to clients who seek a unique food experience in a setting of their choice. Based in Manhattan, Indulge by Bene focuses on the highest quality fresh ingredients, innovative flavors, and artful sexy presentations. (Bene was nominated as one of the Top 10 Sexiest Chefs in New York City.)

Each client receives creative menu selections tailored to their unique desires and focusing on the very best ingredients of the season. Indulge by Bene's fine-dining approach to catering presents clients with seasonally inspired menus, prepared to perfection, designed and tailored just for you.

Chef and owner Benedetto Bartolotta is a star graduate of The Culinary Institute of America. He has also studied extensively in Europe and Asia to bring back fresh and innovative ideas for your table. Bene has worked as the Executive Chef for acclaimed New York City restaurants such as San Domenico NY, Cipriani, and Osteria del Circo.

Chef Bret Pelaggi began his cooking career as a teenager at a local Norwood, MA restaurant. After graduating from the New England Culinary Institute, he went on to work at Boston-area restaurants including L' Espalier, Kingfish Hall, Sibling Rivalry, and Chiara. Bret believes in using local products along with pasture fed meat and game, and enjoys a rustic approach to cooking, saying, “I love braising and cooking on the bone, and classic stock based sauces.” When not working, Bret loves playing all sports and exercising. He currently resides in Miami where he is looking forward to establishing himself on the culinary scene.

Chef Brian Huskey is a native of Pasadena, California. After attending UCLA, where he had his first job as a short order cook, Brian moved to San Francisco to get his formal culinary education at CCA. After CCA, Brian went on a culinary journey, traveling to places as far as the Caribbean but eventually landing back in Los Angeles. For the past two and half years, Brian has been working directly with Chef Ricardo Zarate in opening his three restaurants: Picca, Mo-chica, and Paiche. Throughout this process, Brian has been able to travel and learn how to incorporate Asian, French, Peruvian, and Californian influences into his food.

Chef Carlos Gaytan arrived in Chicago in early 1991, quickly working his way up from pantry cook to line cook at Sheraton North Shore Hotel. After earning a position as Chef Garde Manger, Carlos discovered his creative ability to carve on ice, fruit and vegetables, winning several awards for his talent. In 1996, Carlos earned a position as Chef Garde Manger at the Union League Club of Chicago, ranked as the best private club in the nation. In April of 2004 Carlos became the Chef de Cuisine at Bistrot Margot where he worked with renowned French Chef Dominique Tougne and participated in such events as the Confrerie de la Chaide de Rotisseurs, the Moet and Chandon Brunch and the Annual Flora Springs Dinner Auction in Napa Valley. In May of 2008, Carlos opened his own restaurant -- Mexique on Chicago Avenue in Chicago. With great creativity, love, and dedication he applies his knowledge of French cooking techniques and ingredients to his roots of traditional Mexican cuisine, creating a revolution of Mexican gastronomy. Mexique has received much recognition since its opening, including one of Chicago magazine’s top new restaurants of 2009, best restaurant of 2010 and received its first star in the Michelin Guide in 2013. Most recently Carlos was awarded “Chef of the Year 2011,” by the American Culinary Federation.

Chef Carrie Mashaney works as the chef de cuisine at Aragona, following Jason Stratton from Spinasse. Having attended baking and pastry school in Seattle, her early culinary focus was on the sweet side but she quickly realized she loved cooking savory as well. Her style of cooking focuses on simple flavors and more traditional cooking techniques. While she has trained in Italian and most recently Spanish restaurants, she most enjoys cooking Mexican, Vietnamese, and Caribbean cuisines at home. In her free time, she participates in Crossfit and currently has a personal record of 49 double under jump ropes.

Growing up in Australia, Janine was surrounded by unique flavors from all over the world which inspired her to embark on a culinary journey throughout Europe, Asia and beyond. Janine's travels lead her to Miami, Florida, where she studied Culinary Arts at Le Cordon Bleu and worked in restaurants alongside former Top Chef alum Chef Jeff McInnis, exploring Southern American, Thai, Vietnamese, and Modern American cuisines. Janine is currently living in New York City and has partnered up with Top Chef alum Jeffrey McInnis to open up their own restaurant Root & Bone, which is set to open early 2014 in the East Village, NYC. Root & Bone is excited to bring a little bit of the South to the big city; a Southern revival of the farm and garden to table experience.

When Janine is not sweating it out in the kitchen, she is spending time with her shih-tzu, traveling, and making memories with friends and family.

At the young age of 27, Chef Jason Cichonski, is the Chef and owner of Ela Restaurant in Philadelphia’s Queen Village neighborhood. Hailed by The Philadelphia Inquirer that “few kitchens in town can match Ela’s food value-wise for pure excitement… from the first course to the last, the chef at Ela is hottest where it matters most.” Ela is co-owned by Chef Chip Roman, one of the city’s acclaimed chefs who first partnered with Jason to open his Chestnut Hill restaurant Mica, another top restaurant in the region. Prior to joining Chef Roman at Mica, Jason served as executive chef at Lacroix at the Rittenhouse when he was only 24 years old. Before his success at Lacroix, he worked in other highly-praised kitchens, including the Pluckemin Inn, a fine dining Italian restaurant in Bedminster, NJ and Moonlight, a progressive American restaurant in New Hope, PA. The five ingredients Jason always has on hand are: mustard crackers, ginger oil, kaffir lime leaves, smoked balsamic vinegar, ginger.

Born in California, Chef Justin Devillier became a “forever” resident of New Orleans when he moved there in 2003. With no formal culinary training, he began working in the kitchens of restaurants such as Bacco, Stella, and Peristyle and joined the staff of La Petite Grocery in 2004. He became Executive Chef in 2007 after helping re-establish the restaurant after Hurricane Katrina. He and his wife bought La Petite Grocery in 2010, and he has since been nominated in 2012 and 2013 as a finalist by The James Beard Foundation for the Best Chef South Award. Justin has been an avid fisherman since childhood and tries to make it out on the water at least one day a week, chasing salt water game fish. His favorite junk food is pork cracklin.

Chef Louis Maldonado launched his culinary career at One Market in San Francisco, working under Chef Adrian Hoffman. After working his way up, Louis earned a sous chef position at Cortez, where he was quickly promoted to co-executive chef in 2006 and earned a Michelin star for his work. In addition, Louis has worked at top San Francisco restaurants including French Laundry, Café Majestic and worked for 3 years as chef de cuisine of Aziza. In 2012 Louis moved to Healdsburg to become the executive chef of Spoonbar at h2hotel, where he was able to create a menu of clean and simple dishes that honor the culinary traditions of the United States. In addition, Louis oversees the menu of Pizzando, the restaurant at h2hotel’s sister property, hotel Healdsburg.

After overcoming cancer at the age of 26, Chef Michel Sichel spent more than 13 years honing his cooking skills in Provence, France and in the kitchens of notable restaurants including Rubicon with Traci des Jardins in San Francisco and Gotham Bar & Grill with Alfred Portale in New York. He moved to New Orleans in 2004 where he had the opportunity to shadow some of the city’s best chefs and is currently Executive Chef at Galatoire’s, a 105 year-old New Orleans landmark and James Beard award-winning restaurant.

Chef Nicholas Elmi has worked at some of the top rated French restaurants on the east coast, including Guy Savoy (Paris), Le Bec Fin, Union Pacific, Oceana and Lutece. Nicholas has built a solid French repertoire that is constantly undated with influences from his travels as well as his upbringing in New England. In the fall of 2013, Nicholas is opening French/American resturant, Laurel, at 1617 East Passyunk Avenue in Philadelphia -- the city he has called home for 13 years -- with a focus on sustainability and simplicity.

A native of St. Lucia, Nina Compton has trained in French, Caribbean and Italian kitchens. She has worked under renowned Chef Daniel Boulud and now lives in Miami where she worked for acclaimed chef Scott Conant. A self-proclaimed "gnocchi queen," Nina always keeps Maldon salt, good olive oil, lemon, calabrese chilies, and either pancetta or guanciale on hand. Nina strongly believes one should enjoy the moment whenever they are cooking.

Chef Patricia Vega was born and raised in Puerto Rico and moved to New York at the age of 21 to pursue her childhood dream of becoming a chef. After training in classic French cuisine and graduating from the French Culinary Institute in 2010, Patricia has worked in some of NYC’s most prestigious kitchens, including: Plein Sud, Nougatine at Jean Georges, and most recently, David Burke Fishtail. She loves giving a nod to her Puerto Rican heritage in her food, but she is most passionate about French and Italian cuisine. Her favorite recipe to cook is ricotta cavatelli pasta with braised short ribs and bitter greens.

Ramon Bojorquez is the Sous Chef at Nine-Ten, an upscale farm to table restaurant in downtown La Jolla, California. Ramon is of Mexican descent, born in Rio Rico, Arizona, and was professionally trained at the Scottsdale Culinary School. He grew up watching his grandfather cook, and carries a considerable amount of Mexican, Spanish, and Thai influence in his cuisine. He has traveled the world, from serving as a stage in Spain to fighting Muy Thai professionally in Thailand. Ramon loves bold and spicy flavors- simple yet powerful. He believes “the combination of peppers, cilantro, and lime can be used in almost any dish.” Above all, fresh, seasonal products stand as the cornerstone of Ramon’s cooking.

Chef Sara Johannes started as a Theater Major at the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities, before a redirection ultimately led her to culinary school. Falling in love with food at a young age, Sara could always be found diligently listening to the cooking shows on PBS on Saturday mornings and was inspired by her grandparents, who always let the season, mood, and occasion dictate their menu. Sara served as executive chef for Wolfgang Puck’s Five Sixty restaurant in Dallas and WP24 in Los Angeles at the Ritz Carlton before heading back to Minneapolis. Currently, Sara serves as the executive chef at Shoyu at the Minneapolis St. Paul Airport.

Born and raised in Beijing China, Shirley Chung was exposed to international cuisine at an early age by her grandmother, Liang Si Yi, former Director of The Red Cross in China. She immigrated to America at age 17 for college and worked in Silicon Valley for a few years after graduating. Chung decided to follow her passion for food so she left her career in high tech behind and enrolled in culinary school. She is trained in classic French and Italian cuisine, worked and opened restaurants for Thomas Keller, Guy Savoy and Mario Batali. After she opened CarneVino as Chef de Cuisine for the Batali group, CarneVino earned multiple awards for Best Steak House internationally. Prior to being a finalist on season 11 of Top Chef in New Orleans, she held the Executive Chef Position at China Poblano, by Jose Andres, which was nominated for the Best New Restaurant Award by the James Beard Foundation in 2011. While working at China Poblano, she fell in love with Mexican cuisine and learned more about her own heritage. In 2014, Chung opened Orange County restaurant Twenty Eight, which she describes as modern American cuisine with a Chinese soul.

Always passionate about cooking, Stephanie Cmar began working in the food industry when she was 15 years old at the Muffin Shop in Marblehead, MA. It ignited her thirst for food and provided the direction for her life. In 2007, Stephanie graduated from Johnson & Wales University and returned to Boston to begin her career at Top of the Hub. She continued developing her talent by working as sous chef at Ivy Restaurant. Her next step was working with Barbara Lynch Gruppo at B&G Oysters in 2009 as line cook where she was quickly promoted to sous chef and from there, she moved over to Stir. Most recently, Stephanie has continued to further her fine dining skills at No. 9 Park. The fast-paced, creative environment continues to inspire her and drives her passion for food.

Chef Travis Masar was born and raised in Southeast Colorado where his exposure to food was mainly through his family and upbringing. Growing up in Colorado, he gained experience hunting wild game such as elk, deer, and antelope and he honed his craft by helping his family butcher whole pigs and beef. He has traveled and cooked all over the world including Alaska, Wales, U.S. Virgin Islands, Vermont, Czech Republic, Thailand, Taiwan, and Vietnam. Over the last five years, Travis has focused on traditional Asian cuisine and says the food he cooks represents grandmothers all over the world.